Woman buys cat house for Jurong West community cat, but item with sign disappears next day

A woman in Jurong West wanted to do something nice for a community cat she has been feeding and taking care of.

The animal lover, Khaing, told Mothership that she had noticed the feline regularly sitting and resting on the wet ground at the void deck of a block of flats over the past three weeks, owing to the rainy weather.

Besides having to deal with the elements, the cat lacked a proper place to seek shelter.

"If there is rain, he may go inside the lift or stay at the staircase. It is not safe for him because not all people are 'cat person'," she said.

Set up cat house for cat

On Dec. 3 evening, she and her sister decided to set up a sheltered cat house purchased from an online store for S$15.

They even did up a personalised sign and attached it to the roof of the cat house, and subsequently left the item at the void deck for the cat.

The cat explored the cat house, which came with a specific instruction: "This is Cat house. Please don't throw it."

The sign even had a photo of the cat.

On Dec. 4 morning, the cat house was gone.

Took to social media to share about loss

Vexed and saddened by the disappearance of the newly-bought cat house overnight, Khaing took to a Facebook group for community cat lovers to express her disappointment.

She wrote: "Hi, how you all put the house for HDB cat? This is the house I put last night. It was taken by someone this morning. I bought it for him last night."

Her post was met with responses from commenters who bemoaned the lack of animal welfare in some parts of Singapore, as well as others who criticised the removal of the cat house as an act of mischief or the work of overzealous cleaners.

Not blaming cleaners

Khaing explained that she had seen others leave out cardboard boxes for the cat previously, and the makeshift items were promptly removed the next day.

She said she understands why this happens as it is the duty of the estate cleaners to see to such items that can be regarded as debris.

"Removing the cardboard is acceptable, cleaner is doing his job, and I don't blame anyone for that," she continued, which explained why she took to social media to ask for advice on how to have the cat house untouched.

The community cat feeder also clarified that this was the first time she had bought a cat house for a community cat.

She added, when asked if this experience would deter her from buying another cat house in the future: "I will try to buy again and will make sure to secure it."

Khaing added that this cat is frequently seen in the estate and is well-loved by the community.

"Every morning at his favourite place, he sits in front of the preschool and says 'meow' to everyone. Kids and teachers really love him," she said.

"Even on school holidays, he goes and waits there."

All photos via Khaing